Stapling machine



April 20, 1943- A. H. scHMlm-KE 2,316,988

STAPLING MACHINE Filed Feb. 12, 1941 3 Sheets-Sheet l APr 20 1943. A. H scHMlDTKE 2,316,988

STAPLING MACHINE April 20, 1943.

A. H. scHMlD'rKE 2,316,988

STAPLING MACHINE Filed Feb. 12, 1941 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Apr. 20, 1943 Zeitges STAPLNG MACHINE Albert H. Schmidtke, St. Joseph, Mich., assignor, by mesne assignments, to The Greif Bros. Cooperage Corporation, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Delaware Application February 12, 1941, `Serial No. 378,601

7 Claims.

The improvements incorporated into the machine of this invention are such as to adapt it for heavy work such as securing the head in place upon a plywood barrel. In barrels of this character, the head is usually ittted against an inner stay which is afxed to the interior of the barrel at a `point slightly removed from one of its ends. The head, when placed against this stay, is free to be removed therefrom unless ren strained by a second or outer stay which is affixed to the interior of the barrel adjacent the outer face of the head. With the two stays thus secured in place, the head is itself locked iixedly in position. It is unnecessary to drive any nails or staples through the barrel in line with the head to pierce the peripheral edge thereof, but only to insert such fastening devices through the outer stay and the barrel body.

In the manufacture of plywood barrels, one head, constituting the bottom, is usually secured in place during the operation of assembly. The two stays which thus lock the bottom head in position may be fastened with the aid of any suitable machinery that may be conveniently at hand in the assembly room. It is only after Vthe barrel has been lled, usually at some other place, that there is any occasion to secure the top head in place. rThis can be, and usually is, done by hand, the attendant, driving nails or staples inwardly through from the outside of the barrel, or outwardly through from the inside of the outer stay, with the protruding ends, if any, clinched thereafter. rThis operation is somewhat slow and uncertain. It is with a view to providing a light, compact easily operated stapling machine to perform this operation of fastening the outer stay in place, whereby the top head is secured flxedly in position, that the machine of this invention has been devised.

Among the principal features of improvement is the light weight, compact structure and easy portability of such a machine; the generous use of sheet metal in the machine structure, thereby conducing to lesser expense in manufacture; the adaptability of the machine to barrels of different dimensions and types so as to adjust itself, practically automatically, to any of them; the clamp, operable by a swinging handle, which. draws the machine tightly against the work, regardless of variations in its thickness, to assure an advance of the staple therein to a fixed dism tance; an enhanced leverage to the operating lever for the driving of the staple fastenings, with a consequent lesser manual effort required of the Workman; and a manual operation of :the Operat-v ing lever also of the clamp handle, each opposing the other, to provide a substantial counterbalance for the machine. These as well as other objectives of my invention, as will hereinafter appear, may be achieved by a stapling machine as set forth in the accompanying drawings, whereinW Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of the ma-v chine in its entirety;

Fig. 2 is an elevational View looking toward the machine front end which is adapted to lie to the outside of the barrel;

Fig. 3 is a central vertical section taken on line 3 3 of Fig. 2, showing the machine in operative relation to the upper end of a barrel, the parts being indicated as in their initial position before operation commences;

Fig. 4 is a similar, but fragmentary, sectional view showing the parts in the positions which they occupy at or near the conclusion of their operating stroke;

Fig. 5 is a detail in horizontal section taken on line 5 5 of Fig. 4;

Figs. 6 and 7 are details in horizontal section taken, respectively, on lines 6--6 and '1 -'l of Fig. 3;

Fig. 8 is a view in perspective of the guide block plate beneath which the driver yblade i-s thrust to advance a fastening element through the outer stay of the barrel;

Fig. 9 is a detail in vertical section taken on line 9-9 of Fig. 1;

Figs. 10, 11 and l2 are details in horizontal sec.- tion taken, respectively, on ,lines lll-, lil, Il--I l, and |2.-I2 ofFig. 3;

Fig. 13 is a detail in section taken on line IS-li of Fig. 1;

Fig. 14 is a diagrammatic View indicating a possible position of the machine in relation to the Work at an initial stage of the stapling operation;

Fig. 15, which is a similar View, shows a p os.- sible tilted position of the machine at a later stage of the stapling operation;

Fig. 16 is a fragmentary detail in plan showing a desired position of lthe staple in relation to the Work at the conclusion of a stapling operation.

Referring first to Fig. 3, the barrel B there shown is formed with a substantially cylindrical plywood body wall w to the outer face of which, adjacent its upper end, may optionally be tted a metallic band b which is surrounded by a hoop h. The construction of the barrel body, and

the fastening thereto of the reinforcing hoop, may proceed in accordance with conventional practice so that no further description thereof need be given.

Upon the inside of the body is secured, as by staples I5, an inner stay a which is spaced a slight distance inwardly from the barrel end to which a closure head H, also desirably of plywood, is to be fitted. The securement of this head may require only that a second or outer stay s be fastened to the inside of the barrel head adjacent its end. A convenient means of doing this is by the driving of staples S therethrough, the staple legs to penetrate the barrel body (and band, if used) and enter the hoop h, as shown in Fig. 4. The machine now to be described is designed to do this work, instead of requiring it to be manually performed as has been the common practice in the past.

As shown, the parts of the prese-nt machine are mounted Within or upon a narrow casing C which comprises a pair of spaced parallel walls 2| rising from a base 22 from which is oppositely extended a pair of anges 23 to stabilize the machine when it is rested upon the barrel head that is to be secured. The casing walls 2l are low at the rear end where a connecting wall 24 is located, and at the opposite end are joined by a front wall 25 above which extends two spaced side bars 26 (see Figs. 1 and 2). The terms front and rear, are relative only, and will be used herein as convenient designations to indicate one end of the machine as distinguished from the other. A cross pin 28 which extends between the walls 2i at a point relatively close to the top thereof is anchored thereto to furnish a pivotal mounting for a stapling lever L and having a fulcrurn arm 29 and a power arm 3B to which force is manually applied. Such a lever is desirably formed with a hub 3l to receive the pin 28 about which it is free to rotate. Near the end ofthe fulcrum arm I provide a slot 32 which is obliquely extended in a direction that is substantially transverse to the power arm.

Mounted to slide upon the upper surface of the base and between the two walls thereof is a blade 33 to which is secured a channeled head 34 supporting a cross pin 35 that is extended through the slot 32 of the fulcrum arm of the stapling lever which lies in part within the channel of the head. This channeled head which is in unitary relation with the blade is guided in straight line movements therewith by its sliding fit between the walls 2l of the base. The head is movable in response to operation of the bell crank lever, the pin 35 being free to shift lengthwise within the slot 32 as required by variations in its distance from the base plate consequent upon operation of the lever. A tension spring 35 may connect at one end with a pin 31 which extends laterally from the stapling lever, the opposite spring end being connected to one of two coaxial bolts 38 which traverse the bars 26 fo-r a purpose to be later noted. Such a spring, whose tension force may readily be overcome in operation of the stapling lever, acts to draw the stapling lever upwardly to its normal inactive position thereby retracting the channeled head 34 to an abutting position against the rear end wall 24 which serves as a stop therefor. 1

The driver blade whose Width is somewhat narrower than that of its associated channeled head is thrust forward, in response to stapling of the operating lever, its advance taking it within and through a channel 40 in the form of a recess on the under side of a guide block 4l which is adapted to rest upon the upper surface of the base. This block is carried at the lower end of a channeled supporting plate 42 whose side wallsv 43 are adapted to overlie those of a channeled post P which upstands from and is sustained by the casing adjacent the front end thereof. The supporting plate extends vertically along the open face of the post through its lower region to provide therefor a closure whereby to complete a guide for a vertical stack of staples S accommodated within the post. Carried by the supporting plate near its upper end is a head plate 44 having a vertical slot 45 through which is extended a rivet 46 which is anchored to the supporting plate, the upper end of the head plate being outwardly turned for convenient manipulation. The head plate is widened beyond its supporting plate to provide a pair of shoulders 41, and, when the supporting plate is placed against the post, these shoulders are adapted to rest against the bottoms of slots 48 extended downwardly from the upper edges of the two casing walls 2l.

The space into which the supporting plate 42 with the guide block 4l is fitted is comparatively small and it might be difficult to move the head plate 44 and the supporting plate 42 into and out of their proper positions in the machine by direct vertical movement of such assembled parts. As the head plate 44 and the supporting plate 42 are pivotally and slidably connected, as clearly shown in Fig. 8 of the drawings, the supporting plate with its guide block 4l may be rst introduced into the casing and placed in positio-n and the head plate may then be slid to its nal position in the slots 48.

The slidable connection formed by the slot 45 and the rivet 46 permits a limited upward and downward sliding movement of the supporting plate independently of the head plate 44. As the head plate 44 is rigidly supported in the slots 48 this sliding movement of the supporting plate 42 will enable the latter to be moved upwardly a limited distance and to descend to a point where the guide block 4| rests upon the base plate 22.

lThe hollow post aifords a magazine for a vertical stack of staples the lowermost of which rests horizontally on the base in line with the driver blade so as to be displaceable thereby in response to operation of the stapling lever L. The casing front wall 25 adjacent the base is discontinued to expose the adjacent post wall which terminates above the base a distance just sufficient to permit the advance of a single staple through the intervening space. When the machine is positioned ready for operation, the exposed post wall may be placed in engagement with the work (see Figs. '3 and 4) so as to assure a xed relationship between the machine and the work. In order to maintain this stack of staples in proper position at all times, a guide core 50 is extended vertically within the post adjacent `the front connecting wall thereof to which it may be secured as by screws 5|. This guide core remains rlxedly in spaced relation to the two parallel walls of the post and to the open face thereof. The staples are free to slide downwardly along the corerwhile confined within the post with the aid of opposed lips 52 which are extended inwardly from `the free edge of the parallel walls of the post throughout the region thereof which is above the head plate 44. In order that the stack of staples may be advanced under pressure downwardly toward the base, I provide a follower comprising a channeled bar 53 which is slidably fitted into the U-shaped space between the core 50 and the post P therearound, the connecting wall of this bar lying to the inside of the lips 52 so as to be coniined thereby, and a weight 54 secured to the bar with a spacer 55 therebetween (see Figs. 3 and 9). The lower end of the bar rests upon the topmost staple, and with the aid of its associated weight, exerts thereupon a downward pressure tending to force the entire stack toward the base so that as each lowermost staple is displaced, the entire stack will descend.

The two bolts 33 which have bearing in the bars 26 are adapted to furnish a pivotal mounting for the upper end of a clamp l which depends along the front end of the casing to a point about opposite its base. The clamp is desirably outwardly bowed from the base, its lower end terminating in an anvil head 58 which, when the clamp is advanced inwardly, will engage the outer face of the barrel, usually the hoop h that is applied to its exterior at the upper end thereof (see Fig. 4). The outward bowing of the clamp provides a cam face at the outer side thereof. To advance the clamp to this working position, however, I employ a swinging bifurcated clamp actuating lever 59 which may be pivoted to rock upon the pin 28 whose axis is below that of the bolts 38. A cross wall 6I at the outer end of the bifurcation occupies a position adjacent the bowed outer cam face of the clamp so that, when the clamp actuating lever is downwardly swung, the clamp will be subjected to a force which will tend to swing it inwardly against the work. In this position, the casing front end abuts the outer stay on the inside of the barrel. This thickness of this stay, plus the hoop exteriorly of the barrel, together with the barrel body (and the band b, if used) therebetween, determine the width of the work and, in consequence, the nal position which will be occupied by the clamp when in engagement therewith. By this simple clamping mechanism just described, the entire stapling machine is held iixedly with respect to the work prior to and at the moment the stapling operation takes place.

A compression spring 63 is interposed between the clamp and the casing (see Figs. 1 and 3), at a point which may be relatively close to its pivoted end. The effect of the tension exerted by this spring is to maintain the clamp in an outward position where it remains spaced from the work. This is advantageous because it facilitates positioning of the machine with its front end against the outer stay on the inside of the barrel, leaving engagement of the clamp with the hoop on the outer side of the barrel to take place as a nal operation. When the clamp actuating handle is moved upwardly from the dotted line position shown in Figure l to the full line position illustrated in that figure the spring 63 will automatically swing the clamp 51 outwardly and will operate to maintain the handle and the clamp in their inactive positions.

Upon one or both sides of the casing, adjacent its front end, I provide a pair of cam plates B5 slidable horizontally along the base anges 23 upon which they may rest. Each cam plate is formed with a slot B extending horizontally to receive the shank of abolt 6l which is anchored in one of the casing walls 2|. A wing nut 68 which is screw threaded on to the bolt affords a convenient means of clamping the associated cam plate in a selected position of adjustment. The forward end `[i3 of each piateV is beveled to provide a cam surface which is adapted to engage the work upon its upper edge to exert thereupon a downward thrust whenever the clamp is tightened to position the machine for operation.

As a irst step, the stapling machine is placed upon the barrel head which is to be secured. The front end of the machine is located adjacent the outer stay s so that the cam plates will overlie the proximate top edge thereof. By adjusting these plates forwardly or backwardly, the vertical position of the contact point of these cam plates may be changed so as to cooperate with barrels having outer stays which vary in vertical dimension.

In practice it is found that the head will be more tightly secured in place if the stay be held closely against the head when the stapling operation proceeds. Initially the relative positions of the machine and stay may be about as indicated in Fig. 14 where the stay is shown as slightly separated from the head. To correct this condition I rely upon the cam plates in conjunction with the clamp, to hold (l) the front end of the machine against the stay, (2) the stay against the barrel body, and (3) the stay against the head. The downward advance of the clamp actuating lever 59 forces the clamp against the work to thereby draw the machine and the parts to be operated upon in this close relationship. If the clamp actuating lever be pressed down in advance of the stapling lever, the pressure applied by the operator to the clamp actuating lever may cause the rear end of the machine to be tilted upwardly slightly, as suggested in Fig. l5, but this condition will be corrected immediately when the stapling lever is pressed down, the machine base being then set squarely upon the head and the head being pushed tightly against the inner stay a preliminary to driving of any staples. While so positioned, the blade is yadvanced against the lowermost staple which is thereupon advanced into the work as shown in Fig. 16. The clamping mechanism comprising the clamp and the clamp actuating lever is adapted to grip the work and clamp the stapling machine to the barrel. This mechanism is operable independently of and prior to the operation of the stapling mechanism but experienced operators become so expert in the operation of the machine that in practice the clamp actuating lever and the stapling lever are operated almost simultaneously. The clamping action does not depend on the operation of the stapling mechanism and the operation of the stapling mechanism is not af- Y fected by the movement of the clamp actuating lever and may follow the operation of the clamping mechanism as closely as the skill of the operator permits. When the clamp actuating lever is pressed down in the operation of the clamping mechanism it will remain in said position until raised by the operator. After it is swung upwardly by the operator the spring 63 will swing the clamp outwardly and will retain the clamp in its open position and the clamp actuating lever in its elevated position.

It will be noted that when the clamp actuating lever is in its up position, the clamp is opened far enough to grip the maximum thickness of material. The arc of Contact on the back of the clamp is such that a very slight down pressure will cause it to remain locked and easily absorb the recoil or force that is thereafter developed when the staple is driven fully into the work. As shown best in Fig. 15, the clamp draws the front end of the machine firmly against the in ner face of the outer stay s, regardless of the thickness of the work, vand this rigid clamping of the stapling machine to the barrel' independently of and prior to or at the instant of operation of the stapling mechanism permits of a positive control for the depth of the drive so that the staple will be advanced to a definite ydistance which, preferably, is just short of that required for embedment in the face of this stay, viz: t the position illustrated in Fig. 16 of the drawings whereby to facilitate a subsequent removal of the staple, as by the application of a screw driver or other bladed implement. In other words, the staple is advanced always a fixed distance into the work so that its connecting or middle leg remains exteriorly thereof, usually with an intervening narrow control opening which will facilitate withdrawing the staple whenever it is desired to remove the barrel head. The clamp head which remains rmly engaged with the outer face of the hoop during the stapling operation may serve, if necessary, as an anvil to flatten or turn aside the pointed ends of the staple, if the work be so thin as to permit theseends to pass clear through the work and be exposed upon the outer face thereof. This is of advantage because no subsequent operation is needed to dull or bend over the pointed staple ends in order to render them harmless.

A further point of advantage for the present machine is the employment of the oppositely disposed stapling lever and clamp actuating lever,

both downwardly movable when stapling is to be performed. The clamp actuating lever projects outwardly beyond the barrel body while the stapling lever is extended inwardly over the head thereof. Generally in the operation of the machine the levers are grasped simultaneously and their arrangement permits the machine to be easily and accurately handled by the operator both in the operation of the machine and in transferring the machine from one point to another around the head of a barrel. As each staple is driven forward in response to a downward pressure on the driving lever, the pressure of the machine base upon the barrel head is equalized more or less by the counterpressure exerted by the clamp actuating lever, so that this distribution of forces tends to avoid detriment or injury to the work.

Since the machine of my invention is a portable tool, requiring movement from one barrel to another or to successive points upon a single barrel head, it is desirable that it be both light and compact. These objectives have been met by the construction herein described. The framework is light and the operating parts are few. In large part, the units of the machine may be bent to shape from sheet metal, thereby avoiding excess weight while retaining ample strength.

I claim:

l. In a barrel stapling device, the combination of a casing having a base arranged to rest upon the head of a barrel and engage the work at the inner side thereof, a vertical post rising from the base and having means for forming a magazine for holding a vertical stack of staples, lclamping means carried by the casing and arranged to engage the work at the outer side thereof for gripping the work between it and the casing, said clamping means including an operating lever operable at the outer side of the work, a driver slidable in the casing and arranged to move a staple outwardly from the magazine through the work, and a separate operating lever pivotally mounted on the casing at the inner side of the workfor actuating the driver.

2. In a barrel stapling device, the combination of a casing adapted to engage the work at one side thereof, a clamp arranged to engage the work at the opposite side thereof, an operating lever pivotally connected with the casing and arranged to move the clamp into engagement with the work to grip the same between the casing and the clamp to secure said device fixedly relative to the work, a driver slidable in the casing toward and from the work, means for positioning a staple in the path of the driver, and a separate operating lever located at the opposite side of the Work from the clamp and pivotally mounted on the casing for actuating the driver for forcing the staple into the work.

3. In a barrel stapling device, the combination of a casing adapted to engage the work at one side thereof, a movable clamp carried by the casing and arranged to engage the work at the opposite side thereof, an operating lever pivotally connected to the casing for upward and downward movement and arranged to engage the clamp in its downward movement to move the clamp into engagement with the work to grip the same between the casing and the clamp to secure said device fixedly relative to the work, a driver slidably mounted in the casing and movable toward and from the work at the opposite side thereof from the clamp, means for positioning astaple in the path of the driver, and a separate operating lever located at the opposite side of the work from the clamp and pivotally mounted on the casing and in its downward movement arranged to actuate the driver to move the same toward the work and force the staple into the latter.

4. In a barrel stapling device, the combination of a casing adapted to engage the work at one side thereof, a clamp arranged to engage the work at the opposite side thereof, an operating lever pivo-tally connected with the Casing and arranged to move the clamp into engagement with the work to grip the same between the casing and the clamp to secure said device xedly relative to the work, a driver slidable in the casing toward and from the work, means for positioning a staple in the path of the driver, a separate operating lever located at the opposite side of the work from the clamp and pivotally mounted on the casing and connected with the driver for moving the same toward the work for forcing a staple into the same, and spring means connected with the driver operating lever for retracting the driver and moving such lever to its initial position.

5. In a barrel stapling device, the combination of casing adapted to engage the work at one side thereof, a pivoted clamp carried by the casing and arranged to engage the work at the opposite side thereof and having a cam face, a pivoted operating lever also carried by the casing and arranged to engage the cam face of the clamp for moving the latter into engagement with the work to grip the work between the casing and the clamp to secure said device flxedly relative to the work, a tensioning device exerting against the clamp a force which urges it away from the work, whereby when the operating lever is returned to its initial position and the clamp relieved of pressure the tensioning device will maintain the operating lever in such position ready for operation, a driver slidable in the casing toward and away from the work, means for positioning a staple in the path of "the driver, and a. separate operating lever located at the opposite side of the work from the clamp and pivotally mounted on the casing for actuating the driver for forcing the staple into the Work.

6. In a barrel stapling device, the combination of a casing adapted to engage the work at one side thereof, a clamp arranged to engage the work at the opposite side thereof, an operating lever pivotally connected with the casing and ar ranged to move the clamp into engagement with the work t0 grip the same between the casing and the clamp to secure said device xedly relative to the work, a driver slidable in the casing toward and from the Work, means for positioning a staple in the path of the drivel', a separate operating lever located at the opposite side of the work from the clamp and pivotally mounted on the casing for actuating the driver for forcing the staple into the Work, and a cam mounted on the casing and extensible to project angularly over the work whereby to assure a lowermost position for the work when the latter is gripped between the casing and the clamp.

7. In a barrel stapling device, the combination of a casing having a base and adapted to engage the work at one side thereof, a clamp arranged to engage the work at the opposite side thereof, an operating lever pivotally connected with the casing and arranged to move the clamp into engagement With the Work to grip the same between the casing and the clamp to secure said device fixedly relative to the work, a vertical channel post rising from the casing, a supporting plate extending vertically along the open face of the post through its lower region to provide therefor a closure whereby to complete a guide for a vertical stack of staples, a guide block carried by the supporting plate and resting upon the base of the casing and having a recess forming a channel, a head plate supported by the casing and having a slidable connection with the upper portion of the supporting plate, a driver slidable in the casing and guided in the channel of the guide block and arranged to force a staple from said stack into the work, and a separate operating lever located at the opposite side of the Work from the clamp and pivotally mounted on the casing for actuating the driver.

ALBERT H. SCHMIDTKE. 

